Carl von Voit

Carl von Voit (October 31, 1831 - January 31, 1908) was a German physiologist and dietitian.

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Von Voit was born in Amberg. From 1848 to 1854 he studied medicine in Munich and Würzburg; habilitation in 1857 at the University of Munich, professor of physiology since 1860, as well as curator of the physiological collection.

Carl von Voit is considered by many to be the "father" of modern dietetics. As a chemist and physiologist, he found that the amount of nitrogen in excreted urea is a measure for the protein turnover. Using a respiration chamber, he could characterize the significance of individual nutrients, known as Voit'sches Kostmaß. He was also a successful teacher, attracting international students to the University of Munich and thus significantly influencing the US nutritionist, among others. One of his best known German pupils was Max Rubner.

Von Voit died in Munich.

The German Nutrition Society awards the Carl-von-Voit-medal since 1961.

Works

• Die Gesetze der Ernährung des Fleischfressers (Leipzig 1860)
• Über die Wirkung des Kochsalzes, des Kaffees und der Muskelbewegung auf den Stoffwechsel (Munich 1860)
• Über die Kost in öffentlichen Anstalten (Munich 1876)
• Untersuchung der Kost in einigen öffentlichen Anstalten (Munich 1877)
• Über die Entwickelung der Erkenntnis (Munich 1879)
• Physiologie des allgemeinen Stoffwechsels und der Ernährung (volume 6, first section of Ludimar Hermann's "Handbuch der Physiologie", Leipzig 1881)
• Zeitschrift für Biologie (as publisher, together with Ludwig von Buhl und Max von Pettenkofer)